Sarnia City Councillor Mike Stark September 5, 2019 Photo by Melanie IrwinSarnia City Councillor Mike Stark September 5, 2019 Photo by Melanie Irwin
Sarnia

Sarnia council rejects municipal land transfer tax without discussion

A Sarnia councillor's recommendation for a municipal land transfer tax on home sales didn't get to square one.

Mike Stark's motion failed for a lack of a seconder and was not discussed at Monday's virtual council meeting.

The Ontario Real Estate Association warned over the weekend that such a tax would add over $4,000 to the average price of a Sarnia home and push home ownership out of reach for thousands of young buyers and their families.

"Sarnia home buyers are already charged a provincial land tax, so by adding a municipal tax, the city would double the tax burden on local families," said Sarnia Lambton Real Estate Board President Donna Mathewson.

Stark wanted to petition the province to allow all municipalities, not just Toronto, to impose land transfer taxes on resale real estate transactions. He argued the city must be open to new revenue streams in anticipation of accelerated tax defaults due to the pandemic. Stark said the tax would be paid by real estate purchasers only, and not impact all ratepayers.

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